Contact-finger for electric-motor controllers.



No. 67I,O79. Patented Apr. 2,' I90l.

1 F. W. GARRETT.

CONTACT FINGER FOR ELECTRIC ll CONTROLLERS.

(Application filed m 24,

(No Model.)

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FRANK GARRETT, OF JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LORAIN STEEL COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTACT-FINGER FOR ELECTRIC-MOTOR CONTROLLERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,079, dated April 2, 1901.

Application filed July 24, 1900. Serial No. 24,659. (No model.)

To (ti/Z 1072/0117, it may concern: permit endwise adjustment on the board B Be it known that I, FRANK W. GARRETT, of when the nut c of the bolt is slacked. .Iohnstown, in the county of Cambria and Dis the contact-finger carrying the contact State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new tip or button d. This finger is designed to 5 and useful Improvement in Contact-I ingers be rigid in so far as any inherent elasticity is for Electric-Motor Controllers, of which the concerned. It is pivoted at d to the base 0 following is a full, clear, and exact descripand receives its proper tension by means of a tion, reference being had to the accompanyspring E. This spring is coiled around a bolt ing drawings, which form a part of this speci- F, which is loosely secured in said finger near [0 fication. the pivot d, one end of the spring bearing My invention has relation to an adjustable against the finger and the other end against contact-finger for electric-motor controllers the longer arm of a small angle-lever or belland is designed to provide means whereby crank G, which engages the end of said bolt. such fingers may be given any desired initial Said anglelever or bell-crank is pivoted to [5 spring-tension and then be adjusted from the base 0 at g and its short-er arm is slotted time to time to compensate for Wear of the at its extremity and engages the head of an contact-surfaces Without affecting such iniadjusting-screw H, which is tapped into said Lial tension, means being also provided wherebase. by the tension can, if necessary, be changed h is a check-nut for securing the adjust- 20 at any time. As these fingers have ordinamentof said screw,andhrepresentsjam-nuts 7o rilybeen arranged any change in the adjustwhich secure the longer arm of the lever Gon ment of the finger to compensate for wear is thebolt F and also the tension of the springE. eifected through the finger spring, which By means of these nuts any desired degree of must be put under greater or less tension, tension may be given the spring.

25 according to its arrangement, to adjust the It will be readily seen that the dipof the contact end of the finger. Consequently if finger with respect to the contacts a depends the springs are given initially just the proper upon the adjustment given the screw H. In tension to secure the best operation after a Fig. 2 the amount of this dip is represented little adj nstment for wear there is either too by the distance between the full and dotted 3o much or too little tension. This I design to, lines. To keep this dip constant notw'ith- 8o overcome by myinvention. I accomplish this standing wear and without increasing the object by providing means for effecting an initial spring tension, all that is necessary is adjustment of the fingers independently of to slack up on the screw II from time to the springs and without affecting their ten time, according to the degree of wear.

35 sion, all as hereinafter fully described, and I do not wish to limit myself to the exact pointed out in the appended claims, reference construction, arrangement, and combination being had to the accompanying drawings, in of parts which I have herein shown and dewhich scribed, as modifications may be made in the Figure 1 is a plan view of a controller-findetails thereof without departing from the 40 ger embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a horiscope of my invention as it is set forth in the zontal section of a portion of a controller, and following claims.

Fig. 3 a detail View of the finger-base. rlaving thus described my invention, what The letter A designates a controller device I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patof the usual cylinder or mutilated cylindric out, is

45 type carrying oontact-piecesa. B designates 1. In a controller, the combination with a the finger-board of the controller, which is of movable member having segmental contacts, wood or other insulation material. of a contact-finger having a pivoted move- 0 is the finger-base, which consists of a ment toward and away from the axis of said plate or block of metal secured to the board movable member, a spring acting to limit 50 B by a bolt 0. The plate is slotted at c to said movement in one direction, and a finger- 10o adjusting device which limits its movement in the opposite direction.

2. In a controller for electric motors, a pivoted contact-finger, a spring for imparting tension thereto, and means for adjusting said fingeron its pivot to move its contact end radially toward or away from the controllerdrum without changing the tension of said spring.

3. In a controller for electric motors, a finger-board, a finger-base secured thereto, a

contact-finger pivoted to said base, a spring acting on said finger to hold it to its work, and a device also secured to said base for adjusting said finger on its pivot independently of the spring, to move its contact end radially toward and away from the axis of the controller-drum.

4:. In a controller, a finger-base, a contactfinger pivoted thereto, an adjusting device also pivoted to said base, and connected to finger and arm, and an adjusting-screw engaging the other arm of said lever.

6. The combination of a pivoted contactfinger without substantial inherent elasticity, a bolt or stud loosely engaging the same near its pivot, an anglelever having one arm engaging the said bolt, a spring on said bolt between the contact-finger and the lever-arm, and an adjusting-screw engaging the other arm of said lever.

'7. The combination of a pivoted contactfinger without substantial inherent elasticity, a bolt or stud loosely engaging the same near its pivot, an angle-lever having one arm engaging the said bolt, a spring on said bolt between the contact-finger and the lever-arm, and an adjusting-screw engaging the other arm of said lever, together with means for adjusting the tension of said spring.

8. The combination of a rigid contact-finger D, pivoted at its inner end, the bolt F engaging said lever, the spring E, angle-lever G and adjusting-screw H, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

F. W. GARRETT.

\Vitnesses:

B. M. SMITH, H. W. SMITH. 

